Serbia Votes in Snap Election as Student Movement Challenges Vučić's 14-Year Rule

Serbia went to the polls on October 25 for a snap parliamentary election that grew out of months of mass protests following the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people. What began as demands for accountability over the disaster grew into a nationwide movement against alleged corruption and the government's handling of the tragedy.

The election was not due until late 2027, but Aleksandar Vučić resigned from the presidency in September — ahead of the end of his second and final constitutional term — and moved to lead his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) into the parliamentary race, positioning himself as candidate for prime minister. The manoeuvre made the parliamentary contest central to his bid to retain political power before a separate presidential election must be held.

His main challenger is the Student List–Students Win coalition, made up of political newcomers including academics, teachers and other professionals, campaigning on restoring the rule of law, ending corruption and rebuilding institutions. Young Serbs, previously the most politically disengaged group in the country, emerged as the driving force behind Serbia's largest social mobilisation in decades.

All 250 National Assembly seats were contested in a single nationwide constituency under proportional representation, with a 3% threshold required for entry. Polls closed at 8 p.m. local time, with preliminary results expected about two hours later. Analysts say many voters view the contest as a referendum on SNS rule, and that a student list breakthrough could reshape Serbia's political landscape and potentially revive its stalled EU accession process.